It takes a really classy machine to stand out from the crowd at the annual Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como. But BMW managed it again last year with the Concept Touring Coupe, a one-off wagon-backed take on the Z4 roadster that more than tipped a hat to the so-ugly-it’s-beautiful ‘Clownshoe’ Z3 M coupe of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
And following the car’s positive reception rumors based on off-the-record comments made by BMW execs began spreading. The automaker was considering putting the concept into small-scale production, those rumors said. Maybe 50 cars at $250k a pop. We hadn’t heard anything more about the project since then, and if there’s any truth to a story that’s just appeared on BMW Blog, maybe we know why.
The report claims that BMW bosses have scrapped plans to turn the one-off concept into something fans could put in their own garages. Though a business case was apparently put forward in favor of low-volume production, it can’t have been solid enough to justify giving the project the green light.
Related: BMW Concept Touring Coupe Heralds The Return Of The ‘Clown Shoe’ Shooting Brake
It’s interesting that BMW decided not to put the Touring into production, despite having previously given the go-ahead to the M4-based 3.0 CSL. Could it be that BMW chiefs only feel comfortable with halo projects that have the M badge, and don’t have the same confidence in the strength of the non-M BMW brand when it comes to asking $250k for a car? Z4 fans did get some good news this year, though. The M40i is finally available with a manual transmission after years of fans asking for a stick option to be added to the lineup.
